One of Gareth Southgate’s first experiences as England manager proved to be a sobering one.
His maiden squad announcement in October 2016 for the games against Malta and Slovenia served as a proud moment, though the problems would quickly pile up.
Raheem Sterling, Glen Johnson and Phil Jagielka all withdrew from that initial party and finding replacements proved an eye-opener for Southgate who, at that point, was only in place in a caretaker role.
“The first camp I took, I can remember phoning three players to call them up, because three had pulled out, and none of them wanted to come,” he revealed in the book England Football: The Biography: 1872-2022.
Southgate struggled to convince players to accept England call-ups at the very beginning of his tenure
AFP PHOTO/PAUL ELLIS
Southgate has never revealed the identity of the three players who turned their back on their country, nor is he ever likely to, yet it feels pertinent to revisit the story this week considering the lengths England players now go to be involved in the squad, rather than avoiding it.
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Luke Shaw’s presence at St George’s Park this week was notable as he was not even included in the squad for the Euro 2024 qualifier with Ukraine on Saturday and next Tuesday’s friendly with Scotland, having sustained a muscular injury while playing for Manchester United last month.
Yet the left back opted to continue his rehabilitation under the guidance of England’s medical team, reporting on Monday before leaving the camp on Wednesday, which allowed him to take part in team meetings and listen to presentations from Southgate and his coaching staff — especially crucial in a season which ends with a tournament: Euro 2024.
Shaw has been at St George’s Park this week, despite being unable to play because of a muscular injury
EDDIE KEOGH - THE FA/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES
That Shaw, 28, should make that commitment serves as a neat contrast to how he previously viewed his England career. He admitted in March 2021 to having “massive regrets” about continually pulling out of squads, and the manner in which he did so, because he was not in the right condition. He confessed to feeling like “letting down” Southgate.
In addition to Shaw, Trent Alexander-Arnold also spent Monday evening with the squad before returning to Liverpool on Tuesday to begin treatment on the hamstring he tweaked in the 3-0 victory over Aston Villa last Sunday.
The timing of an injury that will keep him out for three weeks represented an unfortunate setback for Alexander-Arnold given how well Southgate’s experiment of using the 24-year-old as a midfielder had gone in June’s international matches.
Alexander-Arnold is determined to try to forge a successful England career after some false starts. His decision to stay with the team serves as a reflection of that as he, too, listened to what Southgate wants from his squad over the coming months.
Bellingham, centre, set an example by attending the England camp in June while he was injured
EDDIE KEOGH - THE FA/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES
It was, not for the first time, Jude Bellingham who set the standard. The midfielder was nursing a knee injury back in June after a demanding campaign and about to seal his £88 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid, but still chose to report to St George’s Park in the build-up to what was, ironically, another game against Malta.
The transformation in attitude owes much to the culture and camaraderie that Southgate has carefully nurtured after being confronted with all that cynicism and scepticism almost seven years ago.
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The attitude of this group of players has, by and large, also been key and there seems to be a collective willingness to earn the best possible chance to ensure recent tournament near-misses ultimately prove a springboard to success.
Guéhi-Maguire axis could return
Marc Guéhi is hoping for the chance to further underline his England credentials in Saturday’s European Championship qualifier with Ukraine.
The Crystal Palace centre back is under consideration to start in the absence of the injured John Stones, which could mean that the 23-year-old reprises his partnership with Harry Maguire.
Southgate used the Guéhi-Maguire axis in June’s 4-0 win over Malta when Stones was overlooked for a starting role after arriving in camp late after Manchester City’s Champions League-winning celebrations.
Maguire managed his first minutes of the season with a 23-minute run-out as a substitute in Manchester United’s defeat by Arsenal last Sunday and will expect to keep his England place as Southgate’s most experienced centre half. England’s other options in the centre of defence are Levi Colwill, Lewis Dunk and Fikayo Tomori.
Ukraine v England
Euro 2024 qualifying group C
Saturday, 5pm
Wroclaw Stadium, Poland
TV Channel 4
